Think Progress

Rep. Darrell Issa politicizes Russert’s death.

This afternoon, the House of Representatives took up a resolution honoring the life of Tim Russert. Following speeches by several speakers who issued heartfelt condolences, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) brazenly exploited Russert’s death by cynically transitioning his own remarks into yet another push for more domestic oil drilling:

ISSA: We are going to miss Tim Russert when it comes to the people on both sides of the issue of why we have $5 oil — $5 gasoline and $135 oil. I think Tim Russert would have been just the right guy to hold people accountable, who would talk about the 68 million acres that are, quote, inactive, while in fact 41 million are under current lease and use and are producing millions of barrels of oil and natural gas a day. […]

So, Madam Speaker, I am going to miss Tim Russert because this debate is too important not to have a fact-oriented, unbiased moderator who could in fact bring to bear the truth that we need to have.

Apparently, Issa’s heart is overcome with fondness for Big Oil.

Digg It!

Update Flashback: Issa said 9/11 was "simply" a plane crash. John Perr documents Issa's Hall of Shame.


38 Responses to “Rep. Darrell Issa politicizes Russert’s death.”


  1. Uncle Ho says:

    Just WTF does Russert’s death have to do with more drilling for oil?

    Rethuglic party disconnect on a massive scale.


  2. upside99 says:

    Angryone,

    Thanks for the link. This guy is as crazy as Mean Jean, Katherine Harris and Boner.

    His constituency must not be on any coastal areas.


  3. Marie says:

    Issa exploits even a moderator’s death as a political tool.
    He is a tool! Some Repugs are simply incapable of thinking outside of themselves. Disgusting.


  4. StratRat says:

    Issa is a lousy legislator and a worse human being – two things necessary to being in the GOP. If you cut Issa with a knife, he would spill 91 octane right onto the carpet. Crude oil? No, crude man.


  5. woodguy says:

    If “Tim Russert would have” why didn’t he, Darrell? What a shameless fool. Probably to be followed by the comment of Daryll, our resident troll and his brother Daryl. Didn’t this guy make his millions selling used cars? Hey, Darrell, the smart people out there aren’t buying this load of BS any more than you could buy the governorship of California. Give it a rest.

    Would Jesus drive an SUV?


  6. tarazan says:

    I like to see the same respect, memory and time spent talking about Tim Russert’s death given to the thousands of soldiers died in Iraq,and to the hundreds of thousands Iraqis killed in the Iraqi and Afghani war.
    I don’t see the link made by the Congressman between Tim Russert death and the price of gasoline…


  7. bratboy says:

    Issa, just like his right-wing counterparts, has no shame and no conscience and no sense.


  8. Nevar says:

    Totally disgusting.
    Does he honestly think… (oops, double oxymoron there…) let me use other words…
    Does Darrell Issa imagine such a tawdry display will help his cause?


  9. Nevar says:

    “I don’t see the link made by the Congressman between Tim Russert death and the price of gasoline…”

    Neither do I…

    Sadly, there is a link between the deaths of over 4,000 servicemen and countless Iraqi civilians; and the price of gasoline.


  10. Above the Clouds says:

    Issa knows the GOP have nothing to offer voters in November so why not take one last flail in an attempt a political significance? And you thought it was tough being a Republican in 2006 . . .


  11. joe cantwell says:

    AngryOne Says:

    thanks for the link. i remember his crying jag when he pulled out of the california governor’s race. sad.

    *


  12. dbadass says:

    good evening ObamaFan.
    Playing pretend is fun!


  13. nanlichi says:

    TP, how f*ing hard can it be to put a figurative bullet in OF’s ear?

    Why leave it to the rest of us to flag the dickweed when it pops up?


  14. leftcoast says:

    Issa is an idiot. Wrote a scathing email to his office.
    By the way. You have him to blame for keeping you awake at night because of the a__hole’s car alarm next door.


  15. dbadass says:

    Junno white rabit?


  16. belac says:

    Junno white rabit?

    I don’t know him, no. But I hear Alice does…


  17. Oval12345678 aka James K. Sayre says:

    Gee, Rep. Issa, why exactly is the reason that we will soon be having five dollar a gallon gasoline? It would not have anything to do with the unregulated massive speculation on electronic oil futures trading market, that was deregulated by Bush in January, 2006, would it?

    It’s not “supply and demand,” it’s not “OPEC” and it’s not “peak oil.” Google or clusty search on “oil futures speculation.” It’s only costing you $2.55/gallon, a small price for you to pay to allow banks, hedge funds, pension funds and speculators to steal your gas money and enrich themselves…


  18. rogerD says:

    Thank god this dope is only one of 435 in the House. I wonder if he includes his Energy stock portfolio in his personal disclosure statements. Or does he do like the Senators from Alaska and conveniently “forget” to include it?


  19. SP Biloxi says:

    Put Darryl Issa on the Hall of Scum awards this year. Waxman should have used the gavel on his head in the EPA hearing from the Oversight Committee to knock some sense into this representative. Real tacky to politicize Tim Russert’s death.


  20. vat694848 says:

    How low can this car-alarm salesman, ex-felon go?


  21. greggp says:

    When you make car alarms, it’s in your interest that there be a lot of cars.


  22. Miles Tougeaux says:

    Dont you wish we were mourning Limbaugh or Hannity instead?


  23. Hamtree says:

    Jesus Christ. I was watching CNN and they bought the Conservative lies and bullshit. They went on and on about how China and Cuba are drilling for Oil in our national waters. I thought I was going to gag; I expect Oil tools like the GOP to sell that shit but CNN, Jesus needs to come save us again.
    Not to mentioned they also talked about how we should drill for oil on America land and end the ban on it, but they forgot to mention that oil companies already have like 60 acres of undeveloped oil land on Federal property.
    And some Conservatives have the ignorance to say the TV media is Liberal biased…


  24. Loo Hoo. says:

    So Robert Hamilton is running against Issa. Help out if you can.


  25. Paul W says:

    I think Tim Russert would have been just the right guy to hold people accountable…

    Tim Russert would have been “just the right guy” to provide the kind of faux critique of an issue that ultimately paves the way for whatever the powers to be wanted in the first place.

    http://progressiveworldreview.com


  26. Nevar says:

    “D’jooknow any white rabbits?”

    “Naw, jesh da pink elephanssssshh…”


  27. Salmon Dave says:

    Will someone puleeze defeat this idiolt at the polls.
    Pleeeeze.

    LL


  28. Robt says:

    Issa was peddling Arnold Schwartzenegger for President of the United States and called for the constitution to be changed to allow Arnold to run. For Arny is not quite a natural born citizen.

    As if there are no qualified Americans to run for President.

    Issa also very defending of Blackwater and their killings and money suckling from the Gov’t.

    For Issa, taking tax dollars and paying a private company for a service that they are given a monopoly on is great.

    They like to lead you to think privatizing is not tax payer dollar funded.


  29. CaroCogitatus says:

    #
    upside99 Says:

    His constituency must not be on any coastal areas.
    June 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pm

    Issa represents my district, which includes some lovely coastal land (at least for the time being). He’s just a Bush-lovin’ right-wing prick, in a red district of California. But Bob Hamilton is running against him. Every little bit helps.


  30. phred42 says:

    SO

    So have the media now for several days.

    If this keeps up it will turn into a caricature – like the Saturday night Live sketch from the 70’s

    “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead”


  31. Cal Malenky says:

    Darrell Issa: blaring like a car alarm, once again.


  32. ThomasMc says:

    In Russert’s name they prey.


  33. DutchHenry says:

    Issa shameless & without conscience but moreover what does it tell you about the people in his district that keep electing this scum.


  34. padresfan31 says:

    I live one district over in San Diego CA. and Issa covers the northern part of San Diego County, a heavy Republican area. The DNC doesn’t even try to win the seat. He gets away with it because the local media here hides anything a Republican does here. All of us local DEMS knew Cunnigham was crooked but it took forever to take him down.

    For now, not one local media outlet has covered his Russert comments. Last time, the 9/11 comments, a small newspaper was the only one covering Issa’s dumb antics.


  35. JustAJoe says:

    That’s the great thing about sleazeballs, they’re dependable. A true sleazeball will never miss an occasion to show their true colors.



  36. republicanSScareme says:

    I’m beginning to wonder about Tim Russert more and more.

    Just because you have a snarl on your face doesn’t make you a good journalist. I think Russert was a graduate of the Jack Nicholson School of Journalism. The look is real scary, but sincere. It scores a lot of points with Mickey Spillane fans.

    I challenged the Journalism Community to give us actual examples of Russert’s reporting coups and no one has reported back. I know being from Buffalo alone makes you a dependable, tough, street wise character and obviously intelligent to boot.

    I hope they don’t name a national holiday after Russert.



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